


Ms. L

by dyosaywhat



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Angst and Humor, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-07
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-13 10:28:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4518387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dyosaywhat/pseuds/dyosaywhat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Do Kyungsoo lands a job at a top marketing agency in Seoul, assisting senior executive, Ms. Lim. This is not only Kyungsoo’s first real job after graduating from university last year; it’s also the job of his dreams. Kyungsoo realizes early on that this job is full of the unexpected: new friends, an office bully, and a surprisingly kind and supportive boss. However, Kyungsoo could have never predicted that his dream job would send him hurtling through an intoxicating spiral of awakening desire, seduction, and deadly passion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Chapter 1**

It’s April. Bright morning sunlight pours through the sheer curtained window of a small, barely one bedroom apartment in Seongnam. Though cramped with a kitchenette and tiny bathroom, the place is very tidy; every object has its place and is resting comfortably in it. Also resting, in his bed with a navy blue comforter, is Do Kyungsoo; twenty-three years old. 

Kyungsoo alarm disrupts the peaceful rest of man and objects with its shrill, repetitive song. It’s 6:30 am. Kyungsoo runs his hands through his dark-brown hair, pushing it off his face. His full pink lips open up in a wide yawn and he stretches out his arms and legs, tilting his structured jaw towards the wall behind him. For just a moment he’s cranky about being woken up early, but then he remembers that today is the day. He’s a grown up now; all the long days, sleepless nights, and crappy internships during university have lead up to now. Somehow he landed a job at one of the top marketing agencies in South Korea, GRANITE.

He had actually managed to befriend one of his SEO professors. For some reason that professor, Mr. Jeong, took a liking to him; maybe because Kyungsoo actually utilized his office hours to ask endless questions. Mr. Jeong knew someone who worked at GRANITE and set Kyungsoo up with a coffee meeting. Kyungsoo remembered rushing to get his photo taken for the application, hoping he looked like he’d fit in. He’d been told before that he was a pleasant-looking guy, but wasn’t quite sure whether he agreed. There were some girls at university that had tried to get his attention when he lifted it from his textbooks, but only one had caught his eye.

Her name was Haejin. They met in Business Economics class during Fall of Second year. She was a sweet girl with a bubbly, infectious laugh that made the left corner of his lips turn up whenever he heard it. He thought she was cute: shoulder length black hair with a lone neon-pink stripe through it (her attempt at rebelliousness), warm brown eyes, and plenty of heart-fluttering aegyo sal. Mostly, he felt comfortable with Haejin. They liked most of the same things: listening to R&B music, watching movies, gorging on their favorite food of the week, and sometimes lying around on a rainy afternoon in the stillness of silence.

Their lovemaking was, in simple terms, great. He had nothing to compare it to, as she was his first (and him hers), but he was sure the overwhelming feeling of, dare-he-say, pride hearing her little moans, and the feeling of satisfaction he felt when they’d finished, were positive signs of a healthy physical relationship. They learned the maps of each other’s bodies and expertly grew to navigate them.

They broke up though - a few months before graduation. One evening, over fried chicken and beer - their usual Friday night menu - Haejin told him that she’d decided to attend graduate school in New York City. She said she wanted to work in Fashion Merchandising, and after all, New York was the “fashion capital, wasn’t it?” Kyungsoo agreed that it didn’t make sense that they stay together being 11,000 miles apart, but this fact didn’t make saying goodbye any less heartbreaking. They both cried. They texted regularly at first, then it slowly petered out. They chat here and there...every now and then.

Enough reminiscing though. Kyungsoo knows that he needs to be on the 7:15 am train in order to be at the office in time. He jumps out of bed, feet slapping the laminate wood floor, and scurries to the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later – he’s had a hot shower, brushed his teeth, smeared some pomade in his hair, and put on his newly bought dark-grey suit and forest-green tie (both fairly cheap, but hopefully look expensive).

He straightens the covers on his bed so it doesn’t look like too much of a rumpled mess. There’s no time to make coffee or anything elaborate for breakfast. Instead Kyungsoo gulps down a yogurt drink from the fridge, wiping his mouth with the kitchen towel when he finishes. He grabs his coat and his attaché case, slips out of his house slippers and into his leather Oxfords – an actually expensive, gift from his parents – and heads out the door.

Kyungsoo realizes that he looks like every other salaryman rushing off to work in the early morning, but this makes him smile. He doesn’t know if the other men are happy heading into the subway, being propelled towards their office buildings, but he knows that he is. He wonders if maybe he should be less giddy and more anxious. He’s had some internships at small companies, but this is the big league. This is his first real job and he’s getting paid ‘real’ money. He’ll just be assisting a senior executive, but he’s expected to be a serious, hardworking adult. The feeling is strange – just last year he was at university, now he’s been given permission to go into the world and contribute to society. Lord help him or ... maybe more accurately, help society. He chuckles to himself. Even if he fumbles though, he thinks he’ll do okay. He just needs to take it one day at time. Be observant and learn from his seniors; these are things that he knows he’s good at.

**Chapter 2**

Arriving at Seoul Station, Kyungsoo realizes he’s got fifteen minutes to kill before he needs to report to work. Spotting a coffee shop next to the GRANITE building, he decides to pop-in for a hot cup of Americano to-go. Kyungsoo queues up in the moderately long line. Moments later a swiftly moving salaryman rushes in, shouting to the barista that they’ve messed up his coffee order. The salaryman is on a mission and doesn’t even notice the woman who’s just gotten her coffee at the front of the line. As she turns to walk toward the entrance, the salaryman plows right into her. The coffee in her hand goes spiraling to the ground. Miraculously, the bottom of the cup hits the floor at a 45 degree angle, slightly tips forward, hen wobbles back into an upright position, lid still intact. Minus a few splashes, not much coffee is lost.

The salaryman grunts an apology, still fixated on having his coffee remade correctly. An employee rushes out to check on the woman and clean up the little bit of coffee that’s spilled. The woman insists everything is alright and despite the employee’s protests, insists that there’s no need to make another green tea latte for her. Kyungsoo is really annoyed at the salaryman’s lack of manners, but realizes he’s been staring at the woman when her eyes meet his.

Maybe she can tell he’s miffed, and also fresh behind the ears, because she says to him somewhat jokingly, “It’s a jungle out here, but today must be a lucky day.” She lifts up the coffee cup as evidence, cheers-ing to the air. Before Kyungsoo can respond the woman leaves the coffee shop.

With Americano in hand, Kyungsoo heads into work with five minutes to spare. He checks-in with the receptionist at the front desk who tells him he’ll need to come back to take a badge picture in an hour, along with the other new hires. He’s instructed to go up the eighteenth floor and report to his direct supervisor, senior executive Ms. Lim, in office number 1826. He gulps down the rest of his coffee and deposits the paper cup in the nearest trash bin.

The elevator doors open onto the eighteenth floor and Kyungsoo exits into a brightly lit corridor. He follows along until it opens up into an expansive space filled with squares of connected cubicles and rows of office doors along the back. He half returns, half ignores, the sets of eyes that curiously peer at him from their cubicles as he makes his way towards the office doors. He’s hyperaware of the sound of his heels on the floor as he reaches office number 1826. There’s a woman sitting at a large wooden desk, but her back is to him. She’s on the telephone, facing the spectacular view of downtown Seoul that fills her huge windows.

He refreshes his dry mouth with a swallow and knocks on the door. The woman spins around and as their eyes meet, Kyungsoo’s suddenly saucer eyes and agape mouth register with her, causing her to let out a spasmodic, but soft chuckle.

It’s the woman from the coffee shop, with the unexpectedly unruffled demeanor and miraculously balanced green tea latte. After finishing her call, she stands up and comes from around her desk to greet him.

“Funny seeing you here,” she says. Kyungsoo bows low to her as they shake hands.

Robotically introducing himself, “I’m Do Kyungsoo. My first day is today. I’m told you are my direct supervisor and I should report to you.”

“Nice to meet you Mr. Do, I’m Ms. Lim. Seems like you have very good manners and you’ve followed all the rules so far, so I’m feeling hopeful about you joining my team,” she says with a smile.

The sun is shining through the windows, putting her in hyper-focus. Ms. Lim has dark - almost jet black - shiny hair, pulled back into an easy bun at the nape of her neck. She’s smartly dressed in a knee-length black skirt and white silk blouse tucked in at the waist. She’s wearing an ornate, but not gaudy, black and gold jeweled necklace and delicate gold drop earrings. What Kyungsoo absorbs most is that despite its angular nature, she has an inviting face and friendly eyes. Not necessarily what he expected from a senior executive. More evidence towards the theory you should never pre-judge anyone -- you never know who they’ll really turn out to be.

“Come in and have a seat.” Ms. Lim directs Kyungsoo to sit in one of the black leather office chairs in front of her desk. She takes a seat in the chair opposite Kyungsoo rather than at her desk.

“I’ll give you a brief orientation, but most of what you need to know you’ll learn on the job. Oh, by the way you can call me Ms. L. My mom was a teacher when I was growing up and I’d wait for her outside of her classroom to go home. Unfortunately, she taught at the same school I attended. So hearing ‘Ms. Lim’ makes me feel like an ajumma, and I’m nowhere near ready for that.” A soft chuckle floats out of her mouth at the revelation.

Kyungsoo can tell Ms. L. has a sense of humor; he likes that, he could stand to further develop his.

“Will any other new hires be joining us?” Kyungsoo asks remembering that he was to join them to take a badge photo soon.

“No, it’s only you. I only had one position open on my team. Each senior executive has a team comprised of one assistant, three junior executives, and a senior executive. My other assistant had a sudden epiphany and is now working on a farm in the countryside.” Ms. L. chuckles again.

Her laugh is a bit self-conscious, almost like she couldn’t contain it if she tried. Ms. L. debriefs Kyungsoo on what a normal day looks like and his overall duties. She points out that his cubicle is the first one in eye sight of her office; so she can make sure he’s not slacking off. Finally Kyungsoo laughs too.

 “Wow, thank goodness. I was starting to think that you were one of those kids who stayed indoors studying so much that they’d forgotten how to be human.”

“I assure you I’m 100% human,” Kyungsoo says painfully aware that he’s not very funny.

**Chapter 3**

At his desk, Kyungsoo finds an information sheet with instructions on how to log-in to his computer and set-up his voicemail; all the housekeeping. He’s tucking his attaché case under his desk, when a husky voice above him says, “Hi, I’m Park Chanyeol. Do you want to head down together to take our badge pictures?”

Kyungsoo looks up into some of the biggest eyes he’s ever seen. The two globes peer at him over the top of the cubicle, followed by a wide-toothed smile.

“Sure, I guess it is time already.”

“Wait, let me comb my hair first. I’m sure it looks fine; I just got it cut recently, but you don’t want to gamble recklessly with your looks on a day like today,” Chanyeol says disappearing behind the cubicle wall. 

Kyungsoo can tell that this guy is either going to be a really annoying cubicle neighbor or his annoying new best friend. After a moment, Chanyeol joins Kyungsoo in the walkway by their cubicles. Kyungsoo’s a bit taken back by Chanyeol’s height. He’d just assumed that Chanyeol was on his tip-toes when talking to him over the partition earlier, but clearly he did not to need to tip-toe at all.

“Today’s the day, huh? We’re salarymen now. All grown-up and everything. Right?” he says while laughing and lightly elbowing Kyungsoo in the arm.

Kyungsoo stares at the spot on his arm where Chanyeol tapped him; did someone he’s just met actually do that? Noticing Kyungsoo’s reaction Chanyeol apologizes, but he’s still got a smirk on his face. As they reach the elevator they’re soon joined by a group of other new recruits, they all crowd in and head down to the main floor.

Chanyeol rambles the whole way there. Kyungsoo thinks that he seems like the type that just wants to hear his own voice.

They’re in line to wait for their turn, when Chanyeol says, “I went to university with that guy. Kim Jongin.” Kyungsoo’s eyes follow Chanyeol’s nod.

Kim Jongin is a tall - not as tall as Chanyeol - lean guy with a chiseled jaw juxtaposed with round cheeks and eyes that crinkles when he smiles, which he was doing that moment at the female photographer.

Chanyeol continues, “We weren’t friends though. He was considered _so_ good-looking I guess you needed a special VIP card to be his friend. Ha-ha. Do you think he’s _that_ handsome? I mean, I’m _just_ as handsome as him, right? ... I mean if you think he’s handsome.” Chanyeol’s wide moon eyes warily try to read Kyungsoo’s face.

“He’s seems alright, but I’m not an expert,” Kyungsoo says to appease Chanyeol. Kim Jongin is definitely handsome. It’s evident from the female photographer’s flushed cheeks and shy giggles as Jongin makes a series of silly faces before finally taking a proper photo.

“Oh boy, that guy is gonna be my competition, I see!” a voice says behind Kyungsoo and Chanyeol in line.

They turn to see a man with an angelic, yet up-to-something looking face, silky bangs, and a smile that makes Kyungsoo want to burst out laughing for some reason.

Seeing their inquisitive faces, the man says, “Oh, sorry. Where are my manners? Hi, I’m Byun Baekhyun.” They all shake hands.

Baekhyun launches back into where he left off, “I had heard that there were a lot of attractive women here at this agency. Between you and me, I’m not saying it’s the only reason I applied to work here, but it played a role.” He winks at them.

Kyungsoo wonders how such a person exists, he sounded so confident, yet bashful - this namja was very charming.

“Looks like I’ll have to keep my eye on that guy...oh wait, here he comes!”

Jongin is passing right by them when Baekhyun steps out into Jongin’s path and extends his hand, saying, “Hi there. Byun Baekhyun. Nice to meet you. And you are...?”

Taken off guard, but amused, Jongin smiles broadly, further highlighting his good-looks. He returns Baekhyun’s handshake, “I’m Kim Jongin. Nice to meet you!”

Baekhyun responds, “We’re all about the same age and we’ll all be getting to know each other well working here right, so why not get acquainted right away?” He points to Kyungsoo, “This is…uh...”

Before Kyungsoo can answer, Chanyeol jumps in and says, “Do Kyungsoo and I’m Park Chanyeol. Actually you and I went to university together...I mean I recognize you...I mean you look _slightly_ familiar, so I figured you might be someone I’d _maybe_ seen in passing at university...but I was _really_ busy with classes, and speech club, and music club, and tons of other things to have had a chance to get to know you at all.”

They all just stare at Chanyeol perplexed, who’s slightly panting after his lightning speed (and overly specific) introduction.

Being kind enough not to further embarrass Chanyeol, Jongin replies, “Awesome! It’ll be great to have a university chingu here too! Nice to meet you all, but I have to run. My boss, Mr. Kwon, said he’ll be taking me to lunch today. See you later!”

Waving to Jongin’s back with a grin that doesn’t reach his eyes, Baekhyun says, “You’ve got to keep your chingus close, but your enemies closer.” Followed by another wink. Kyungsoo can’t help but laugh at Baekhyun’s cartoon-ish face.

Chanyeol nods his head in agreement; eyes tracing the air where Jongin once was, “I wonder if he even recognized me. He didn’t say that he remembered _me_. It couldn’t have been one-sided...me only seeing him, but him not seeing _me_. That would be impossible, right?” To Kyungsoo and Baekhyun’s relief, Chanyeol is cut off by the photographer calling his name before they have to answer.

After they’ve all taken their photos and received their badges, Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol head back up to the eighteenth floor. In the elevator Baekhyun turns to Kyungsoo, “Wow, you haven’t said a word this whole time. Are you the shy type?”

Kyungsoo is about to reply, but is cut off by Baekhyun. “Or are you too nervous on your first day and the cat’s got your tongue, as they say? Ha-ha. Who came up with that stupid phrase?” Baekhyun slaps Kyungsoo on the back, causing Kyungsoo’s eyes to widen in shock.

As they exit the elevator, Kyungsoo is about to speak when Baekhyun interrupts yet again, “I’m assisting Mr. Nam and team. I’m a few cubes over from you guys. See you later chingus!”

Baekhyun strides off toward his desk. Chanyeol goes quietly off to his desk, dolefully still ruminating about whether or not Jongin recognized him. Kyungsoo sits in front of his computer, following the log-in instructions, laughing to himself. He can tell that this job is going to be nothing like he expected.

**Chapter 4**

Ms. L. invites her team, Kyungsoo and the junior executives, Kim Junmyeon, Lee Donghae, and Choi Siwon, out for drinks after work often so they can all ‘bond’. None of the junior executives clamor to befriend Kyungsoo, but they’re all decent to him -- well most of them. The warmest one is Donghae; he’ll actually ask Kyungsoo about himself and how he’s adjusting, then go back to chatting with the other junior executives or Ms. L. after five minutes. It was better than nothing. Kyungsoo thought that the handsome Siwon, with the boxer-like stature, would be the one that would be the least friendly, but he surprisingly greeted Kyungsoo every morning on the way to his desk. It was the over-achiever looking Junmyeon that made it pretty clear from the start that he did not care for Kyungsoo.

After a few weeks, Kyungsoo had reached max frustration with Junmyeon: either Junmyeon spoke to him with sharp, curt words or ignored him altogether. Despite Kyungsoo’s attempts to make conversation, there didn’t seem to be anything he could do to Junmyeon’s liking. He got the feeling that Junmyeon hated the fact that he was even there; but he had no clue why. Was it personal or was he just like this to every new person? Kyungsoo was embarrassed to bring it up to anyone, not even Chanyeol or Baekhyun, and definitely not to Ms. L. He didn’t want to sound like he was complaining, or even worse, tattle-telling. But it really bugged him that he couldn’t figure out why he got under Junmyeon’s skin, especially considering they didn’t even know each other.

One night after work, Junmyeon doesn’t show up at the lounge to join them for their habitual after-work drinks. Siwon and Donghae crack jokes about how Junmyeon said he doesn’t like having to babysit the toddler when he’s trying to enjoy his free time. Kyungsoo knows the “toddler” is him and he can feel his ears burning red. Even Ms. L. giggles about it.

Kyungsoo guzzles down bottle after bottle of beer that night. The room gets fuzzy at the edges, but he’s lucid enough to say goodbye when Siwon and Donghae say their leaving. It’s been three hours and Kyungsoo thinks he should go as well, but Ms. L. seems perfectly content sipping her red wine. He doesn’t want to be rude and just leave her there.

“So, Junmyeon’s been giving you a hard time?” Ms. L. says unexpectedly. Kyungsoo feels his face warm with flush; he’s not sure if it’s from the alcohol or embarrassment. Most likely a healthy combination of both.

“Is it so obvious?” he responds.

“It is,” Ms. L. comments followed by her self-conscious laugh. “Junmyeon can be a bit prickly. I actually gave him a little nickname, but you’ll have to keep it a secret if I tell you.” Kyungsoo nods in affirmation.

“It’s Mr. Bully. He’s very smart and great at what he does, and, believe it or not, he can actually be a fun person to be around, but _he’s_ actually more of the toddler. Let’s just say, he gets very territorial.”

Exasperated, Kyungsoo says, “But I’m nowhere near his territory, he’s been here for four years already. I have a long way to go...so I don’t understand.”

Sympathetically, Ms. L. says, “The best tip I can give you about Mr. Bully is to not let his demeanor intimidate you. That’s more of the test – if he can tell you’re intimidated, then he’ll just keep at it until you give up and leave. I’ve seen it happen before. It’s not an easy industry – you have to learn who you’ll engage with on a surface level with and who you’ll actually be able to trust and... perhaps be friends with.”

Kyungsoo nods. He really didn’t want to talk about this; especially with his supervisor! He fears that he seems like the tiny tadpole who’s not ready to swim in the pond with the big fishes.

Ms. L. continues, “You can trust me though.” A soft smile playing at the edges of her lips. “I’ve worked here a long time. Most of my adult life actually, so I know how it goes in the salary world. _And_ I’m a woman, so I’ve learned a thing or two about having tough skin. But it’s up to you decide who you trust and who you don’t.”

Kyungsoo ponders Ms. L.’s words, concluding that an Office Politics class should have been offered at university along with the other prerequisites for graduation. Eventually Ms. L. says she’s ready to go and they both leave the lounge, say their goodbyes outside, and hop into their respective taxis headed home.

The next week, Kyungsoo is eating lunch alone in the office break-room. Chanyeol is out sick. Baekhyun went to lunch with a female co-worker and didn’t want any additional company. Jongin is the apple of his senior executive’s eye because, amazingly, he takes Jongin out to lunch almost every day.

Surprised by Ms. L.’s voice suddenly behind him, Kyungsoo quickly shuts the game app he was playing on his phone. “Have things gotten better with...” Switching to a whisper, “...Mr. Bully?”

With a sigh Kyungsoo answers reluctantly, “Hmm, I’m not sure. This week he’s avoided all conversation, as well as any form of interaction, with me. Could be a good sign or a bad sign. I can’t tell.” Kyungsoo attempts a smile. This sounds like the plot to one of those dramas Haejin used to enjoy watching so much.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll hate hearing this, but I put in some good words for you with him.” Taking in Kyungsoo’s look of horror, she reassures him, “I swear that I haven’t been too obvious about… that I like you… for our team... and want you to stick around, but I did use a little boss persuasiveness - as is my privilege every now and then.”

That’s the last thing Kyungsoo wanted to happen. It must be readable on his face. “Oh my, you look sick. I’ll just leave you. Pretend I didn’t say a thing.” Ms. L. backs out of the break-room, clutching her chest in apology.

After the embarrassment about Ms. L. talking to Junmyeon on his behalf wears off a bit (really he’s glad if anything helps), Kyungsoo contemplates Ms. L. saying she liked him – but he brushes it off because it’s not really something shocking to say. It’s just that when she said it, before clarifying herself, there was something that flashed across her dark eyes. He can’t place what the ‘something’ in her eyes was, but it registers with him on a gut level. He’s not sure what it meant or how to feel about it.

**Chapter 5**

The following week, there are some big accounts that come down the pipeline. Kyungsoo and some of the other new recruits are forced to put in long hours to help the senior executives prep for important pitch meetings with overseas clients.

One night however, it’s only Kyungsoo and Ms. L. left late in the office – tomorrow is a holiday, but it turns out that they’re both not spending time with family. When they discussed it last night over drinks at the usual lounge, Ms. L. alluded that either her family didn’t live nearby or she wasn’t close to them; Kyungsoo couldn’t quite remember which due to the soju they were drinking. The stress had driven them to hard liquor. Kyungsoo explained that his parents were actually on Jeju Island at the moment, on a vacation of their own; nice for them to do in their late 50s. His older brother would be spending the holiday with his girlfriend’s family at a lake in the countryside. He could go with them, but he’s not familiar with her family -- it might be awkward. He’s fine to be alone.

Ms. L. calls him into her office to go over Friday’s presentation. “Better to hammer it out now rather than have to text you over the weekend with last minute questions. Since you’re free of family obligations, I’m sure you’ll be much too busy doing young people things for that,” she says, ending with her self-conscious laugh.

Ms. L. had written a list of talking points on the whiteboard that covered one wall of her office. Kyungsoo sits in one of her office chairs, across from where she’s standing. The same chair he sat in on his first day; it’s become ‘his’ chair now. He notices that Ms. L. has taken off her cardigan and has unbuttoned the top buttons of her work blouse. She’s not showing any cleavage, just a hint of skin under her collarbone. She looks relaxed. Kyungsoo can feel the tension in his shoulders and back, brought on by hunching over his computer making endless PowerPoint presentations. Kyungsoo exhales in a low whoosh. He should try to relax a little too.

Continuing to write on the whiteboard, her back facing him, Ms. L. suddenly kicks off her heels. Looking over her shoulder, eyebrows raised, she says, “You don’t mind do you? I know it’s a little awkward, but I’ve been in these shoes all day, and believe it or not bosses are human...  my feet hurt.” Kyungsoo tells her he doesn’t mind – internally he thinks that it _is_ a little awkward, but it’s after hours and all.

Seeking solidarity, Ms. L. says, “Get comfortable too – you can take off your suit jacket, tie, and even your shoes if you like!” then turns back to what she was writing.

He’d just promised himself to relax, so Kyungsoo takes off his jacket and his tie, but leaves on his shoes – for some reason he feels he should keep some formality with a senior executive, though he wonders if Ms. L. really is a friend – she said that he could trust her, and he thinks she might be right.

He expected to be closer with Chanyeol or Baekhyun or even walking-god Jongin by now: going to the bar after work and downing a bottle or two - or three - of soju or several beers and complaining about their bosses, but instead he had been drinking _with_ his boss and complaining _to_ her about his silly office drama.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun seemed to have extracurricular activities going on most nights anyway. And to both of their relief, Jongin had revealed that he has girlfriend that takes up most of his free time. Kyungsoo is reminded that he hasn’t had a girlfriend in almost a year now. He’s mostly been focused on landing this job – his dream job. He’d forgotten about dating really. He laughs thinking about how pitiful that sounds.

Ms. L. turns at his muffled chuckle, “You’re laughing? Oh my, is something inappropriate showing?”

Kyungsoo can’t tell if her melodramatic look of shock is making fun of him showing some semblance of a sense of humor, or of the preposterous idea that she’s actually exposing herself. Ms. L is fully immersed in her role though, turning her head to look over her shoulder and peer at her backside. “Do my tights have a rip in them?” she says, still looking concerned.

Kyungsoo is suddenly embarrassed, maybe she’s not joking after all. “No nothing like that – I was just laughing at something I was thinking about. I apologize for not paying attention. You’re perfectly decent,” Kyungsoo reassures.

Ms. L. smiles, relief crossing her face, and laughs – again in that self-conscious way. Something deep in Kyungsoo tells him that he likes her laugh; it’s cute. It makes her seem like an overachieving 20-something university student who accidentally reminds you that she’s just as young as you are, and doesn’t actually know what she’s doing at all. Actually a lot like Haejin -- but different.

“Okay let’s focus so we can get out of here at a decent time tonight.” Ms. L. taps her marker on the whiteboard next to the first bullet point.

As they go down the list, Kyungsoo starts daydreaming again. The long week has worn him out and his ability to concentrate is lacking. This time he’s thinking about a steaming hot bowl of jajangmyeon. His stomach is growling. He realizes Ms. L. asked him a question. He focuses on the bullet point she’s pointing to and deduces what she’s asked him. He gives her the answer, but runs to his desk to grab a report to make sure he’s covering all the bases.

Upon re-entering her office he notices Ms. L. running her hand down the curve of her back and just over the top of her backside. Kyungsoo pauses. She’s leaning her head back too, exposing the length of her neck. She’s undone her bun and her hair falls down her back. Thinking he shouldn’t be staring at her like this, Kyungsoo averts his eyes and continues into the office.

Ms. L. snaps back to normal as soon as she hears his footsteps creak across the threshold. They make eye contact – Kyungsoo is expecting to apologize again in response to her flustered reaction, but she’s not flustered. That something – something unsettling – flashes across her eyes again while looking straight into his. She, like nothing had just been exchanged between them, turns back to the whiteboard and they continue.

Later, while sitting on the subway on his way home, Kyungsoo can’t shake Ms. L.’s gaze. It must have only lasted seconds, but something about it put him ever so slightly on edge.

**Chapter 6**

It’s a hectic Friday at the agency as the overseas client meetings take place all day. Kyungsoo has barely seen or even spoken to Ms. L. the entire day. Even Mr. Bully doesn’t have the time to try to cut down his self-confidence, as he rushes from one meeting to the next doing the introductory presentations before Ms. L. finishes up -- hopefully closing the deal. Kyungsoo makes himself useful when he can, but otherwise he just makes sure that all his reports are in order.

With the executives otherwise occupied the assistants talk among themselves. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun have pulled up chairs into Chanyeol’s cube. Chanyeol is talking about an underground rap battle club he wants to go to.

“I hear that some of the best rappers in South Korea started out there: Tablo, San E, Joon Hyung from G.O.D.! I’ve gotta go. I’ve been writing and composing a lot lately, going could be good inspiration.”

Baekhyun jumps in, “Yeah, you totally scream underground rapper! I definitely think you should go, but _without_ us. What we _should_ do is go to this new dance nightclub in Itaewon called Rapture. They have a great DJ and cute girls - local ones, foreign ones - a wonderfully wide variety.”

“Really Baekhyun, you’re completely obsessed with girls. Don’t you have any other hobbies?” Kyungsoo teases.

“Ho ho! Well, you’re one to talk Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun pokes him in the chest. “Do you even _like_ girls? I’ve never heard you mention one, let alone even look at one. And please do share with us your extensive list of hobbies and life-enriching activities,” Baekhyun snorts.

Kyungsoo can see how much he’s enjoying teasing him, which really makes him want to put Baekhyun in a chokehold. “I do like girls and I do have a hobby. Similar to Chanyeol’s actually - I sing. I sang in school choirs from elementary school all through high school.”

Simultaneously, Chanyeol says, “Cool! We should collaborate!” and Baekhyun says, “Yah! What is this K-Pop Star season 5?” They all burst out laughing. They’re wiping the tears from their eyes when Jongin pops in to join them.

“Hey guys, do you want to go out to get drinks after work today? My girlfriend has a work event tonight so, my night’s open!”

Standing up to put his arm around Jongin’s shoulder, Baekhyun says, “Yes! We should indeed celebrate this young man’s night of freedom. We would not be proper chingus if we didn’t! Am I right?”

After work, they make their way to a nice restaurant with an upstairs bar that overlooks Gangnam. Kyungsoo hasn’t had this much fun in a long while. They all drink just beyond too much. They laugh and share stories about their terrifying first couple of months at the agency. To Kyungsoo’s relief the others talk about how they each have their own Mr. Bully’s to deal with too; well, except Jongin, whose entire team dotes on him so much it’s nauseating.

As their senses get duller with each tumbler of soju, the boys talk about their impressions of the senior executives. They go down the list, one-by-one: Jongin’s generous and haraboeji-like Mr. Kwon, Baekhyun’s rash and jolly Mr. Nam, Chanyeol’s diminutive and mousy Mr. Ryu (Chanyeol jokes that he forgets he even has a boss sometimes); when they get to Ms. L., Chanyeol and Jongin say that she seems nice enough, they haven’t interacted with her much, so there’s not much more that they can say.

But, like a fat cat sitting atop a treasure trove of fresh-caught fish, Baekhyun chimes in, “Yeah, she seems nice. Over on my side, even though we’re all men, we gossip like a group of middle school girls...so, I’ve heard some rumors about Ms. L….some pretty interesting rumors.” Raising his eyebrows excessively like a comedic silent movie actor.

“Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!” Chanyeol and Jongin chant. 

Itching with curiosity, Kyungsoo asks, “What kind of rumors? Not something bad, right?” He can’t imagine Ms. L. doing anything bad, or mean or, distasteful. He wants to know, but there’s a part of him that doesn’t. He cringes at the thought of his image of Ms. L. becoming tainted.

Indulging in everyone’s eyes fixated on him, Baekhyun guffaws, “I’m not going to tell any of you! We don’t want Kyungsoo feeling any more awkward than he normally does already. He has to work with the woman every day. I wouldn’t do that to my favorite Pororo-chingu!” Kyungsoo punches Baekhyun in the arm for the comparison. Kyungsoo is relieved, but his curiosity has been sparked. What could the rumors about Ms. L. be? 


	2. Part Two

**Chapter 7**

Two weeks later, after a good quantity of the accounts with the foreign clients have been secured, Ms. L. comes to Kyungsoo’s desk one afternoon inviting him to a dinner party at her apartment that coming Saturday.

“I’m inviting our team, of course, and some of the other teams too – since it’d be rude not to. It’ll be a semi-celebration for getting through the hectic weeks of client meetings and closing some lucrative deals. Plus, I like to cook and having an excuse to buy good, expensive wine. Mr. Jin, our CEO, will be there too. You should come if you can make it.” 

Kyungsoo accepts the offer and then immediately confers with Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Jongin to see if they’ve been invited too -- thankfully they all have.

“I’m glad you guys will be there. Mr. Jin will be there too, so everyone might be stiff and uncomfortable,” Kyungsoo says.

“Number one, I’m intrigued to see if the CEO gets drunk, and number two, I’m very intrigued to see if there’s any dust inside of a senior executive’s apartment,” jokes Baekhyun.

Chanyeol chimes in, copying Baekhyun, “ Number one, _I’ll_ be taking notes on how to behave like a CEO at a social function - in preparation for my future role - and number two, I’ll _also_ be taking notes on how to decorate my 70,000,000 won per month apartment once I’m rich.”

“I thought you were going to be the next hit rapper?” Baekhyun teases. Chanyeol punches him hard in the back, making Baekhyun squeal.

“I think it’ll be fun! I just need to figure out how much time is long enough to respectfully stay at a work party, but also leave early enough to avoid my girlfriend sending me one hundred texts about how I’m a bad boyfriend for making her spend a Saturday night alone,” Jongin says grinning, while scratching his head.

“This is why I can’t have a girlfriend right now. I can’t be tamed,” Baekhyun says smugly with his contagious grin.

“I wouldn’t mind being tamed, if you know what I mean,” Chanyeol insinuates with a smirk.

Kyungsoo can’t contain himself any longer; he lets both of his hands simultaneously slap Chanyeol and Baekhyun in the back of their heads. They both look stunned for a moment, then Baekhyun cackles sheepishly, while Chanyeol grabs his head and grimaces as if he’s just been hit with a speeding car.

“Leave after she’s sent twenty texts, Jongin,” Kyungsoo advises. They all laugh and get back to work.

**Chapter 8**

That Saturday night, tucked into a corner of Ms. L.’s crowded living room, Kyungsoo, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Jongin huddle together sipping on beers.

“It’s already been an hour and Mr. Jin is still on his _first_ beer. Darn, I bet money on him getting at least a _little_ tipsy,” Baekhyun wines.

“Seriously?” says an astonished Jongin.

“Yep, like I said, my team acts like a bunch of high school jocks.”

Recalling their conversation last week, Jongin corrects, “Actually you said your team was like ‘a group of middle school --’”

Cut off by Kyungsoo, “Don’t even bother, Jongin. I don’t think Baekhyun knows what he’s saying most of the time.”

“When I’m a CEO I wonder if I should live in Seoul or get a big house in the countryside. This apartment is nice - I like the modern finishes - but it’s not as big as I thought it would be. Is anyone else hot? I’m roasting!” says Chanyeol, who fans himself and tugs at the collar of his button up shirt.

“There’s too much testosterone around here that’s the problem! I’m going to mingle with some beautifully refreshing women I see over there. Bye!” Baekhyun scoots off across the room to where a group of women are chatting.

Though at first the women look bemused at his arrival, they’re soon laughing at whatever charming introduction he’s come up with. Kyungsoo is envious of Baekhyun’s ability to talk to anyone comfortably. He’d ask Baekhyun for some tips, but in reality that sounded about as enticing as getting a root canal. 

As he’s gazing in Baekhyun’s direction, Kyungsoo spots Ms. L - and she, him. She makes her way towards him. Reaching the group, Ms. L. introduces herself to Chanyeol and Jongin, then apologizes for pulling Kyungsoo away. Holding on to his arm, their bodies close due to the cramped space, Ms. L. leads Kyungsoo towards one of the blood red couches in the living room area. It matches the accents of red, Kyungsoo’s noticed she has scattered throughout her apartment: a vase, a picture frame, an abstract sculpture. This close to Ms. L., Kyungsoo can smell her perfume; a mixture of something floral, like lavender, but also like smoked sugar.

To his surprise, Ms. L. introduces him to Mr. Jin. “Mr. Do has been a great addition to our team Mr. Jin. I hear also that he is a fan of western football just like you.”

Kyungsoo panics for a moment, not recalling ever having said this to Ms. L. He’s seen a game here and there with some foreigners at university, but his knowledge of the sport is nowhere near extensive. He looks at Ms. L., whose eyes say ‘go with it’ and with the help of the beer she’s been handing out liberally all night, Kyungsoo makes some half decent conversation with Mr. Jin. An hour passes by without him noticing.

Eventually, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Jongin make their exits. Jongin’s reached his twenty text quota. Baekhyun has some other plans with friends, “The After-Party,” he says. And Chanyeol just wants to escape the awkwardness of drinking amongst seniors. They attempt to make eye contact with Kyungsoo to see if he wants to take the opportunity to leave with them, but Kyungsoo is locked into conversation with the Mr. Jin. Mostly he can tell that they all feel bad for him, being stuck talking to the CEO, but in particular he picks up that Chanyeol is a little bit jealous that he’s not doing the same. Kyungsoo knows that Chanyeol will make fun of him on Monday to feel better about it.

Actually, Kyungsoo and Mr. Jin hit it off and their conversation flows easily. After successfully navigating away from the topic of western football, Kyungsoo engages him in full on nerd-talk about marketing strategies and how the marketing sector needs to continue to adapt to keep up with the continuous advancements in digital technology. Soon it’s just Mr. Jin, Ms. L. and, to Kyungsoo’s surprise - because he hadn’t noticed he was there the entire time - Junmyeon, left. He looks at the wall clock. It’s 1:00 am!

Ms. L. and Junmyeon are engrossed in conversation, laughing and whispering like they have secret inside jokes. It’s the first time Kyungsoo has seen Junmyeon look like he’s genuinely enjoying himself.

Kyungsoo and Mr. Jin have hit a lull in their conversation. Mr. Jin clears his throat, announcing that he needs to head home to his wife before he gets scolded. He shakes Kyungsoo’s hand, pats Junmyeon on the shoulder, and Ms. L. walks him out-of-sight down the foyer to the front door. Kyungsoo hasn’t had an actual conversation with Junmyeon during the two or so months he’s been at GRANITE. He thinks that maybe this would be a good time to try and break the ice, while things are less formal and more relaxed.

Turning towards the armchair across from him that Junmyeon’s sitting in, Kyungsoo smiles at the young man’s handsome, but icy face. He responds by averting his eyes from Kyungsoo. Nope. Nothing has changed.

Luckily, the door clicks shut and Ms. L. returns to the living room. She’s almost giddy as she compliments Kyungsoo on making a good impression on Mr. Jin. She apologizes for ambushing him, but she saw the opportunity to set-up a serve for him and she was very impressed that he followed through and volleyed the rest of the night.

When she finishes her moment of praise, Kyungsoo doesn’t bother to try to fill the sudden silence. Neither does Junmyeon. The heavy quiet seeps across the room and Kyungsoo realizes that Ms. L. is still standing between him and Junmyeon. Junmyeon looks at Kyungsoo with a puzzled expression. Kyungsoo looks from him to Ms. L., who’s just gazing into her glass of wine, her fingers playing around the edge of the glass.

She laughs her self-conscious laugh, but doesn’t contribute any more than that to the unsettling situation. Kyungsoo already knows that he likes that laugh. Acknowledging that here – in her apartment, twenty-five stories up above Seoul, with another man, a jerk on top of it, sitting across from him – somehow glues him to the couch he’s sitting on. His clammy hands stick to the leather surface. The awkwardness between the three of them grows more palpable and Kyungsoo can distinctly feel that maybe he’s not supposed to be there. He’s _supposed_ to get up and leave and say goodnight, see you Monday at work and leave the two of them there in her apartment -- to do…what it is they want to do without him around.

He’s definitely getting that message from Junmyeon who’s puzzlement looks like it’s turning into firmly concluding that Kyungsoo really is a dimwitted fool, but Ms. L. seems to be waiting for something -- not necessarily for Kyungsoo to leave though. He feels that she’s waiting for _one_ of them to leave, but she’s leaving it up to the two of them to decide which one of them it’ll be.

As Kyungsoo feels himself standing his ground and senses Junmyeon’s growing irritation, a wave of confusion washes over him. What the hell is he doing? What is he even thinking? He’s had too much to drink. These are his seniors and he’s most certainly overstaying his welcome, but Ms. L. is too polite to point that out. What’s it his business if Junmyeon stays after he leaves. He should just leave now – there’s no way Ms. L. wants him to stay. And stay for  _what_ ? Jesus Christ. What is wrong with him? He needs to get home to his bed and sleep all the alcohol off.

Kyungsoo stands up abruptly, says his goodnights and see you laters and tells Ms. L. she really needn’t walk him to the door. To his dismay, she insists upon doing so. At the door, Kyungsoo says as quickly as he can, “Thank you for inviting me and thank you very much for the introduction to Mr. Jin.” And turns to exit.

He feels her tap on his shoulder and turns around. “Be safe,” she says, her finger trailing down a bit of his shoulder before she lifts it. She does her self-conscious laugh again, tucking a length of hair behind her ear.

Kyungsoo responds, feeling smaller with each word, “I will… but... I feel like I owe you for the introduction. If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.” Kyungsoo’s certain that his ears are glowing with the embers of his embarrassment.

There’s obviously nothing that he can do for her because he doesn’t have money, or power, or even a nice apartment to invite her over to for a meal, but in that moment he’s overwhelmed with thoughts of how kind Ms. L. is and feels ashamed of how he’s distorting that kindness into something crazy -- something inappropriate.

He doesn’t know if Ms. L. can sense his turmoil, but she looks into his eyes and smiles. Kyungsoo swears he sees that something from before flash in her eyes just before closing the door. The sound of the latch locking behind him echoes in his ears.

**Chapter 9**

Sunday morning Kyungsoo wakes up wondering if he’d dreamt everything that happened last night. He really hoped that he had dreamt it. He contemplates how he could be so embarrassing? Aigoo, he needs to get out. He needs to spend less time with Ms. L. and more time with people his own age -- and most importantly, people that _aren’t_ his boss.

He texts Chanyeol since he always seems to have an active nightlife. He asks Chanyeol if he’s doing anything that might be fun tonight. All work and no play isn’t healthy and he needs a good dose of medicine. Moments later Chanyeol replies: Yes, he’s going to a rap battle and maybe to that club, Rapture, with Baekhyun. Kyungsoo is more than welcome to come. In fact it’d be better if Kyungsoo came because he and Baekhyun could probably get into too much trouble alone. Plus there’s no better medicine than soju and the company of two society kings to cure a dull, boring life. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, but he can deal with it. He’s determined to go out tonight.

Kyungsoo meets Chanyeol at the Itaewon station. “Ah, now this is how I pictured things! My cubicle neighbor and me, bonding, becoming real chingus...living out our twenties like they’re meant to be lived. I’m glad you’ve decided to crawl out of your shell, you ‘lil turtle!”

Wrapping his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders, Kyungsoo almost begins to question his decision to come out with Chanyeol tonight, because only five minutes into their outing he already wants to wrestle the giant elf to the ground.

Despite his initial annoyance, Kyungsoo has fun at the rap battle. The battlers are actually impressively good, like Chanyeol said they would be. As they walk over to Rapture to meet up with Baekhyun, Chanyeol raps. Kyungsoo’s surprise compels him to tell Chanyeol that he’s actually not half bad. Remembering Kyungsoo’s singing background, Chanyeol teases that they should form a duo and perform at cafes in the area. He knows of one called Joeun Sesang Manduelgi that regularly has open mic nights. Kyungsoo says he’ll think about it. Inside he knows there’s no way he’s getting on a stage to perform anytime soon; singing was just a little hobby, he didn’t want to become an idol or anything like that.

They can tell they’ve reached Rapture because dance music pulses through the warm night and there’s a large group of Koreans and foreigners outside talking, laughing, smoking, kissing. They spot Baekhyun leaning on a fence near the entrance.

Seeing them, Baekhyun waves them over. “There you are! You’re just in time. I just saw an A+ group of university girls enter about two minutes ago. There may still be time to make our move before some other, less attractive guys get to them. Let’s go!”

They show their IDs to the doorman and enter the club. The air is damp with body heat and the beats vibrate through their bodies. They first head to the bar to do shots of soju and grab beers. Baekhyun has already spotted the “A+ girls.” Fortified with liquid courage, they go up to the girls and introduce themselves. A popular pop song comes on and the crowd morphs into a hyped dancing mob.

Kyungsoo observes that Baekhyun and Chanyeol are in their elements. They talk and flirt so effortlessly, while he just shuffles his feet to the music, making a sheepish face when one of the girls smiles at him. Taking a break while the girl he’s honed in on goes to the restroom, Baekhyun whispers to Kyungsoo, “Sorry to leave you buddy, but Melei and I are really getting to know each other and I think a private corner would be the best place for us to continue to deepen our connection.”

Kyungsoo wishes him luck. Baekhyun heads off in the direction of the restrooms to wait for said Melei to finish up. Chanyeol is still nearby, but he’s in full flirt mode: big eyes widening with exaggerated reactions to what the girl he’s with is saying, smile so wide that his dimple can probably be seen from the entrance.

Kyungsoo heads over to the bar area to get some air. He leans with his back against the bar, looking into the crowd. His eyes are drawn toward the left side of the dance floor. He can only see her from the back, but as she dances, a girl leans her head back, exposing her neck. There’s an arch in her back as her hand follows the ‘S’ line of her backside. A cloud of deja vu wafts over him. He feels his body tingle, from his feet, up his thighs, fluttering over his groin and spreading into his chest. The girl turns around in his direction, wiping the dampness from her forehead. He realizes he’s been staring when she meets his gaze. He snaps out of his reverie, his heartbeat racing. Then the familiarity of the scene rushes to him in a burst – Ms. L. in her office, one late night a few weeks back.

He turns away from the girl and bends over the bar top, covering his face. He’s feeling dizzy, clammy sweat beading up at his hairline. Kyungsoo jumps when Chanyeol suddenly slings his arm around his neck. From his height, he looks down at Kyungsoo, “Ah, did you strike out too chingu? My attempts were also rejected. Sucks, but it happens, right? Not that often to _me_ of course, but maybe it’s because I’ve already had too much to drink. Where’s Baekhyun?”

Standing up, Kyungsoo responds wearily, “He and Melei went to a private corner to deepen their connection. I think I’m ready to call it a night.”

Chanyeol says he’s going to go too, but first he texts Baekhyun that they’re leaving and that they want to hear all about his success tomorrow at work. They leave Baekhyun to his hard core press and hop in separate taxis to head home.

Kyungsoo tosses and turns all night. Tortured by a feverish dream of clips linked together by a slippery haze: the girl at the club’s milky neck, her face morphs into Ms. L.’s, his lips slowly kiss down the length of the soft exposed skin, his tongue leaving a hot, wet streak on her neck that turns blood red at the touch of his lips. Kyungsoo wakes up drenched in sweat, and with an unrelenting erection. His head is spinning. What in the world?

**Chapter 10**

At work the next morning Kyungsoo feels terrible. He has a pounding headache, and he’s still reeling from last night’s dream. Chanyeol is awfully quiet today, he must be feeling the effects of last night too.

As Kyungsoo is filing some paperwork, out of the corner of his eye, he sees Junmyeon enter Ms. L.’s office. Junmyeon doesn’t closes the door, but it’s cracked just slightly. Kyungsoo can’t see them, but he can hear low whispers. He can hear Ms. L. laugh her self-conscious laugh. A prickling sense of jealousy pokes at him, but he fights it and turns back to his work, trying to ignore that he even noticed.

Several minutes later, Kyungsoo hears Junmyeon’s voice as he exits Ms. L.’s office. His curiosity getting the better of him, Kyungsoo turns to just take a peek, maybe hoping to glean a morsel of what of Ms. L. and Junmyeon were talking about that made her laugh. Kyungsoo turns and is startled to see Junmyeon standing behind him, eyes squinted, laser focused on him.

“Hi,” Kyungsoo says warily.

Junmyeon continues his squinty stare, turns up the corner of his lips in disgust, and says, “Don’t get too comfortable and don’t forget your place, kid. I’ll be watching you. Try to give me a reason not to get you fired.”

As suddenly as he was there, he’s gone. Kyungsoo lets out a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding. Ugh. The last thing he needs right now is Mr. Bully threatening him. As he had thought, his behavior on Saturday night did not succeed in gaining any points in his favor with Junmyeon.

Kyungsoo pulls his convenience-store bought lunch out of the fridge in the break-room. He’s about to head up to the roof to have lunch with Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Jongin. It’s their new hideout, though it’s not really theirs only. Jongin had clued them into the existence of the roof one day. He’d found out about it from one of the junior executives on his team. Employees went there to escape for a minute, get some fresh air in their lungs in-between meetings, and gaze out at the strikingly beautiful Seoul cityscape: mountain peaks peeking out between tall shiny office buildings.

As Kyungsoo passes her office on his way upstairs, Ms. L. motions him in. She invites him over to her place after work. She says that she has something that he can help her with, so she’d like to redeem the favor he offered a few weeks ago after her dinner party. She doesn’t say any more than that, so he continues on his way. Kyungsoo thinks that maybe she needs a pipe fixed or a heavy piece of furniture moved.

Junmyeon’s earlier warning and curiosity about Ms. L.’s invitation, leave Kyungsoo filled with anxious expectation all afternoon. Soon it’s 8:00 pm and most of the office has trickled out except for a few, including Kyungsoo and Ms. L. She’s still typing away at her computer and pouring over reports. A late call comes in to her line and she gets up and closes the door before answering.

Ten minutes pass by, twenty, then thirty-five. The conversation doesn’t seem to be a good one because Kyungsoo can hear Ms. L. raise her voice a few times, as if she’s arguing with someone. It shocks him because he’s never seen her angry, nor raise her voice, even in frustration. Kyungsoo doesn’t know if he should leave or not. Did she still want him to come over or did something come up and now it’s not a good night for guests after all?

Kyungsoo is still at his desk, staring at his computer screen, having an internal battle about what he should do when Ms. L. comes out of her office, work satchel in hand. She asks him, “Why aren’t you packed up to go yet? Are you planning on working late?” 

“No,” he says. “I was just waiting for you.”

“Well, I’m ready,” she snaps, tapping her foot as she waits for him to shut down his computer. Kyungsoo notices that she seems impatient tonight -- annoyed, bothered, something. He’s never seen her like this. He’s not sure how to act. 

Once he’s done Ms. L. says, “Let’s go,” and abruptly makes her way to the elevator.

He follows behind her. She hails a taxi outside the office building. On the ride to her apartment she doesn’t say anything and neither does Kyungsoo. Ms. L. pays the taxi driver before he can even offer.

He follows Ms. L.’s rapid, determined steps into her lobby and into the elevator. They stand in silence on the ride up. Kyungsoo is still nervous… anxious…a tad bit scared actually. Ms. L.’s energy is very different. She usually has such a calm, light, and warm energy. Very welcoming, witty, and like an open book. But tonight she’s distant and hard to read.

She unlocks her front door and takes her shoes off as she steps in. Ms. L. grumbles, “Shoot. I forgot to check the mail while we were downstairs.” 

Kyungsoo almost shouts, “I can go get it for you. I don’t mind at all.” She looks at him like he’s made a ridiculous statement and laughs. Not self-consciously this time - more angrily, Kyungsoo notices.

“Hurry and come in,” Ms. L. says, exasperation in her voice. Kyungsoo slips off his shoes and drops his attaché case on the couch, next to her purse.

She heads to the kitchen and takes out three bottles of wine. She pulls the wine opener from one of the drawers and proceeds to open one of the bottles of wine, pull out two wine tumblers from the cabinet, and pour wine into both, just over half full.

“Here,” she says, holding one glass out to Kyungsoo as she sips from the other. She’s looking right into his eyes. There are shadows there. He swallows, his throat dry. Having a bit of an out-of-body experience, Kyungsoo feels himself walk over to her, maintaining eye contact the entire way. But as soon as he takes the glass from her hand, their fingers ever so slightly brushing, she looks away.

Ms. L. downs a big gulp of wine, refreshes her glass with more, and heads off into what Kyungsoo assumes is her bedroom. She mostly closes the door – it’s the tiniest bit cracked but Kyungsoo can’t see or hear anything.

Not knowing what to do with himself, he uses the wine to continue to soothe his parched throat and hopefully calm his rapidly beating heart. What’s he so anxious about? He can’t pin it down. One gulp, then two, then another until the glass is empty. A few minutes later Ms. L. comes out of her bedroom in a deep purple casual, cotton dress that hits her just above her knees. It’s three-quarter sleeve and has a slight V-neck. Her hair is down and she’s taken her lipstick off. 

“Oh good, you’re drinking well,” she says, noticing his empty glass. She refills his glass with more and does the same for her now empty glass.

Kyungsoo’s voice gets stuck in his throat as he stumbles over his words, “The favor… what… you… I… what can I help you with?”

Ms. L. doesn’t say anything at first. She just looks down into her glass like she did at her dinner party. Kyungsoo thinks like it’s almost like she’s waiting for him to answer his own question; make his own decision about why he’s there. Like the night of the dinner party, he gets the feeling that she’s leaving the outcome up to him.

Finally, she says, “I need help finishing up this expensive wine that I bought.”

“Oh,” he says.

“Normally we’d go to the lounge and drink after work, but why spend the money when I have perfectly fine and expensive wine here at home? Plus now you don’t have to be forced to spend an entire evening with Mr. Bully and his two bumbling brothers, right?” Kyungsoo forces a laugh and nods.

Her answer makes sense, but the situation still seems odd. And the nagging sense that he’s missing something - not connecting the puzzle pieces laid before him - is lightly throbbing in his gut.

He doesn’t get much time to analyze the situation further because Ms. L. offers Kyungsoo some japchae she made last night. Acknowledging his dormant hunger, he accepts. Ms. L. warms up some for him and herself, handing him a bowl and chopsticks as she settles on to the couch, directing him to sit next to her. She pulls a remote out of the side table drawer and turns on the big Samsung flat screen TV.

They watch the news, they watch some drama, then another, then a comedy show. By this time they’re halfway through the third bottle of wine. Ms. L. seems more relaxed and softly cackles at the gag men and women on screen. Kyungsoo lets out a chuckle here and there too but he’s still on edge. Even though he can feel the wine loosening his anxiety, he’s still tuned to something being off. A signal is telling him that something dangerous is going to happen, but he hasn’t yet registered what it could be.

**Chapter 11**

Darkness. Kyungsoo can hear voices talking about how amazing and advanced the latest self-automated robotic vacuum cleaner is. He opens his eyes, squinting into the bright light of the TV screen until his eyes adjust and make out the infomercial playing. Realizing that he must have fallen asleep, he has a moment of panic, but the materializing sensation of warmth on his shoulder calms him down slightly. He peers to his right and sees Ms. L.’s dark tresses spilling down the front of his shirt. He has a bird’s-eye view of her eyelashes, the tip of her delicate nose, and the pink cushion of her bottom lip. He thinks it’s cute that she pokes her bottom lip out when sleeping, almost like she’s pouting.

He must have chuckled because Ms. L. stirs. Her eyes open, but she stays completely still. Kyungsoo senses she’s experiencing the same fight through the haze back to reality that he just had. He knows she’s realized that she’s leaning on his shoulder when her eyes make a slow climb up to his face.

For Kyungsoo, the edges of the room blur and the glistening pools of Ms. L.’s eyes, face shaded by the dark fall of her hair, and her velvet lips sharpen into HD focus. Her lips - they almost seem to pulse, the dusty pinkness turning darker which each throb...hot pink - throb - fuchsia - throb - a rosy soft hue - throb - a deep sanguine red. He can only see those lips, signaling to him.

He can only hear their syncopated breaths - inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. His head is swimming; he feels so honed into every part of Ms. L. He thinks that this must be what a predator senses right before it’s about to kill its prey. Led by that animal instinct, Kyungsoo leans down and kisses Ms. L. Her breath pushes against his lips in a hot puff. Kyungsoo has two seconds of uninhibited bliss - all confusion, anxiety, and fear leaves his body - until Ms. L. abruptly pulls away.

Lost in his stupor, Kyungsoo is slow to process Ms. L.’s reaction. However, when he sees the look of shock on her flushed face, all his senses come rushing back in a jolt like fireworks going off one after the other. The confusion, fear, and anxiety that had left him a minute earlier return ten times more intense than before. His mouth is glued shut. Sweat slides its way down his temples into his shirt collar.

“You should go.” Ms. L.’s words are like a slap to the face.

Desperate, Kyungsoo blurts out, “I’m sorry...so sorry...I don’t know what happened. I --”.

Ms. L. cuts him off, “Don’t say anything else. Just go.”

Walking towards the door, Kyungsoo understands that ‘dying of embarrassment’ is probably a real thing and he may be its next victim. Ms. L. does not walk him to the door. He lets himself out and half runs out the building into the crisp, night air. He’s gasps as if he’s been deprived of air for some time. The excess oxygen burns his lungs.

Kyungsoo thinks maybe he’s going crazy. Maybe he hasn’t been with a woman for too long. Maybe he should have tried harder to meet a girl at the club with Chanyeol and Baekhyun. Maybe he should call up an old female friend from university. Maybe he’s lonelier than he even knew. What is wrong with him? He really needs to pull himself together. This is not like him. He doesn’t do things like that. Kissing his superior? Kissing an older woman who he should be showing the utmost respect to? He has no idea what has come over him.

He frets about hopefully having a job tomorrow as the subway rocks him to his senses on his ride home. There’s just a small nagging feeling that won’t leave him alone though. He keeps shoving it down, but a part of him feels certain that he did exactly what Ms. L. wanted him to do.


	3. Part Three

**Chapter 12**

He was definitely wrong, Kyungsoo admits. The next day at work, outside of essential communication, Ms. L. barely speaks to him. She hardly even makes eye contact with him. She’s definitely not acting like someone who wanted him to do what he did last night. Kyungsoo wants to apologize profusely, but can’t. To even recall what happened causes him to have an anxiety attack.

Chanyeol is talking to him over the cube wall, but he’s not listening. “Hey! What’s up with you? I’m trying to ask you if you want to go to lunch with me and Baekhyun. Hello?” Chanyeol says loudly into Kyungsoo’s ear.

Kyungsoo jumps, not realizing that Chanyeol had entered his cube. “What? No... I’m not hungry. You guys go ahead.”  

Pouting, Chanyeol replies, “Fine. Suit yourself. You know you’ve been acting really weird today, right?” Then walks off. Kyungsoo wants to shout after Chanyeol that he has no idea just how weird he’s been acting -- if he only knew he’d be shocked!

Later that afternoon Kyungsoo is in a storage office shredding old account files. All archived data is finally being transferred to an electronic filing system, so someone has to get rid of the old papers. He eagerly volunteered to do it. The chance to be alone, in a quiet, secluded space sounded like someone offering him one million won.

Out of the corner of his eye he glimpses someone walk by the open office door. He doesn’t need to wonder long who it might have been because that person returns moments later. “Oh great,” Kyungsoo thinks as Mr. Bully himself, Junmyeon, leans against the door frame and looks at Kyungsoo like he’s just told the lamest knock-knock joke.

“Hi?” Kyungsoo says aloud, while inside he says “What now, jerk-face.” He wishes Junmyeon would go back to acting as if he didn’t exist.

Preparing himself for more threats of being fired, Kyungsoo is taken aback when Junmyeon says leeringly, “I know everything that goes on around here...a lot more than you can imagine.”

Kyungsoo can’t imagine what Junmyeon means, until he continues on, “I told you that I’d be watching you and I’m actually shocked by your boldness. Who do you think you are to take advantage of your senior’s kindness? You’re not anyone at all. Your time here is already ticking down, you might as well start packing up your things.” Then he leaves as quickly as he appeared.

A mixture of disbelief and anger festers within Kyungsoo, as he imagines Ms. L. relaying last night’s horror to Junmyeon. He couldn’t get over that part. To tell Junmyeon of all people! That may be worse than the actual event itself. Ms. L. knew that Junmyeon hated him, so if she’d told him about it, she really must be angry with Kyungsoo. Maybe instead of firing him herself, she sent Junmyeon to convince him that he _should_ leave on his own -- just like she mentioned he’d done to other hoobaes he had a distaste for in the past.

The rest of the day doesn’t get any better. Ms. L. continues to ice Kyungsoo out. The few times he musters the courage to talk to her, he chickens out as soon as he sees her. Kyungsoo wonders if she’s going to ignore him from here on out. Junmyeon also continues to look at him in disgust whenever they cross paths. Maybe this’ll be it Kyungsoo thinks, he’ll be transferred to someone else’s team or maybe he will leave all together. But maybe that’ll be a good thing and everything can go back to some kind of normalcy -- maybe he can go back to being his old self.

**Chapter 13**

That night, the subway ride home seems to take forever. Everything moves at a lethargic pace: the other passengers entering and exiting the subway car, the train itself as it rumbles along the tracks, his own body as he takes leaden steps towards his apartment building. He stops to buy a six-pack of beer and some instant ramen from the convenience store around the corner from his place. When Kyungsoo reaches the entrance to his building, he’s overcome with gratitude. He can finally be alone and erase, at least momentarily, all thoughts of Ms. L., or Junmyeon, or his messed up life with countless draughts of cool beer.

Someone gets out of a cab that Kyungsoo just notices has been idling in front of his apartment. In the dim light of the streetlamp, Kyungsoo recognizes Ms. L., her face half lit by the streetlamp, the other half in darkness. Kyungsoo is horrified, has she come all this way to tell him that he’s fired and not to come back to work tomorrow and any day after that?

“What...what are you doing here?” he manages to say. He didn’t mean for his words to sound so rude, but he’s scared out of his mind.

“We need to talk... about the other night,” she says, her voice smooth as melted chocolate, yet icy cold. She walks towards him, then past him, and up the stairs to the entrance of his building stopping to wait for him to open the door.

Not sure how to get out of this situation, Kyungsoo unlocks the door with his key, walks the one flight up to his apartment, and punches in the code to his unit door without saying a word. Ms. L. follows him, silent as well. Kyungsoo feels ashamed for Ms. L. to see his tiny apartment, but he realizes it’s not even worth it to be ashamed of anything else. His shame meter has reached its maximum. He doesn’t think it’s possible that anything worse could happen from here on out.

Stiffly, they remove coats and shoes, and settle at the small kitchenette table. Since he has it, Kyungsoo offers Ms. L. a beer. She accepts. He hopes that she gets this over quickly, so he can actually drown his woes alone tonight. Pouring her beer into a glass, for the first time that day, Ms. L. and Kyungsoo make eye contact. To his surprise - and relief - she doesn’t look upset. She looks a bit like she used to, warm eyes and a kind smile emphasizing her natural beauty. Kyungsoo wonders if maybe all he’ll get is a motherly lecture about men, women, and the birds-and-the-bees. That would be hell of course, but it wouldn’t be as bad as being fired.

However, Kyungsoo is not prepared for what Ms. L.’s asks him, “Do you like me?” Her gaze is so direct that, his mind goes blank, but after a pause he surprises himself and says, “Yes, but... I shouldn’t.” He feels his ears burning, maybe his embarrassment meter hadn’t actually reached its max after all. It surely had now.

Ms. L. laughs her self-conscious laugh and Kyungsoo feels a familiar sense of warmth come over his body. There is a part of him that hopes _he_ makes her laugh that way. She’s older than him, she’s experienced more, seen more, but maybe she seems him as a man -- maybe.

“Do you want to kiss me?” she asks next. Gulping down the small amount of air that seems left in the room, Kyungsoo nods yes.

“Then do it. Do it now and be sure about it this time.” Kyungsoo almost can’t register what she’s saying, but he’s only drunk half of his beer so he knows his mind is not distorting things.

She continues, “Last time you pissed me off with your uncertainty. I’d really like it if you got some balls and kissed me… _right_. I’m telling you it’s okay, so just do it.”

Kyungsoo is scared but he hears her “do it” as a challenge -- a taunt even. Thankful for the short width of his kitchen table, it’s easy for Kyungsoo to lean over and kiss her. Once their lips meet, it’s like his lips never left hers. Again, all the frustration, fear, and shame he’d been struggling with all day melts away and he allows himself to slip under the intoxicating lure of Ms. L. She returns his kiss, but doesn’t stop him this time. Over the table, their arms entangle across each other’s bodies. Ms. L. stands up and pulls Kyungsoo towards his bedroom.

She sits on his bed, her black skirt in contrast with his blue comforter. She holds out her hand waving for him to join her. Kyungsoo follows her lead and sits next to her. Maybe too eagerly, he kisses her tempting pink lips again and then down to her neck. Another cloud of deja vu hits him as he dares to let his wet tongue trace the smooth line of Ms. L.’s neck. She gasps, letting out a soft moan.

She pulls his hands towards her chest, directing him to unbutton her blouse. He eagerly does so, releasing her plump breasts from her bra, beginning a slow descent of kisses down from her neck to the curve of her breasts to her taught nipples. He feels a shiver go through her body, which, for him, signals a green light to keep going. Kyungsoo indulges in playing with her nipples with his tongue. Ms. L.’s hands caress Kyungsoo’s neck and upper back, fingernails digging ever so slightly into his skin through his shirt. She moves his hands to the zipper at the back of her skirt and stands up as he unzips it, letting the skirt fall to the floor like leaves during autumn.

Ms. L. pushes Kyungsoo’s eager mouth down to her navel. He adjusts himself on his knees beside the bed, kissing down her stomach and to the edge of her red lace, silk panties. He feels like he never wants his lips to leave her skin, but he stops; suddenly dizzy and disoriented.

“What’s the matter?” Ms. L. says, her voice breathy and slightly strained. He can’t answer. He worries if this should be happening.

She laughs. Not self-consciously but almost mockingly. “You are innocent aren’t you?” she says. “I thought maybe you were _too_ innocent - maybe you were going to be too clueless. But I thought you proved me wrong. You seemed to pick-up on my signals, but maybe I was mistaken. I select very carefully and rarely make a mistake, but I might have in this instance.”

Kyungsoo wants to protest but his swollen tongue clings to the roof of his mouth, preventing him from speaking.

“If you don’t want to do this then you can stop now and I’ll go. I’ll act like nothing ever happened and you can forget all about it,” she says, the edges of her mouth pinched with, Kyungsoo wonders, disappointment?

He sees a flash of that familiar something, a shadow, sweep across her eyes. Then it’s clear to him what that shadow means - instinctively - in his gut. It makes sense now. It means ‘fuck me.’ She’s been trying to tell him _I want you to fuck me, Do Kyungsoo_ the entire time. He’d seen that look in Haejin’s eyes before, when they’d been playing footsie under the table while studying in the library and she’d “accidentally” caressed his crotch with her stockinged foot. It’d been so long that he’d almost forgotten what it looked like. The uneasy on edge feeling returns with this revelation and he begins to panic. What is he doing? It’s like he’s another person around her. He’s not himself or who he thought he was.

As if she can hear his thoughts, Ms. L. says, “You’re still young, but who do you _want_ to be? You’re doing great at the agency, so you’ll go far. But who do want to be as a _man_? What _kind_ of man? The kind of man who walks away when a woman challenges him to seduce her? The kind of man that walks away because he thinks that’s not what he should be doing?”

Kyungsoo thinks for a moment and says, “I think you’re the one challenging _me_ to be seduced.” She laughs – her self-conscious laugh this time.

“Maybe” she says. “You are smart aren’t you?”

“Did you plan this from the beginning?” he asks her, his heart beating against his chest like heavy rainfall.

“Plan what?” she says, feigning ignorance. He can tell.

“Did you want to sleep with me when you first met me? On the first day I started?” Kyungsoo questions, half in disbelief at his own words.

“Yes. From the moment I first met you.” Ms. L. looks away from Kyungsoo’s gaze; a slight flush on her high cheekbones. “It was earlier than you think though. I saw you come in for interviews. I noticed you way back then. I’m a little embarrassed about it now, but I made up some story about how you were the son of a family friend of mine in the hopes that would put them over the edge to hire you.”

Ms. L.’s fingers play with some loose threads on his comforter. “I think you had a pretty good chance without my assistance, but I wanted to be sure. Then I thought, ‘what my luck?’ when we bumped into each other at the coffee shop. I could sense something in you – something I wanted.”

Kyungsoo’s expression must give him away. “Are you angry?” Ms. L. asks, concern in her voice.

 Kyungsoo doesn’t know how he really feels. Maybe he should be angry. Hearing Ms. L’s revelation, it all does sound strange.

“You’ve done this with other guys, like me, then?”

Her eyes return to meet his gaze. “Others? Yes. Like you? No.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t know what to do with this information. His mind turns over and over until it’s too tired to do it anymore. Ms. L. doesn’t say another word, just lightly touches the top of his head, caressing his hair. With the coaxing of her touch, his mind stops, and his body speaks loudly. He’s tired of fighting against Ms. L.’s pull. If he’s honest with himself, he knows he’s attracted to her. And what’s wrong with that? It’s a basic and primal part of human nature.

Though he didn’t realize it was happening, he becomes keenly aware of the pressure building in his crotch. Ms. L. wants him and she has high expectations of him -- he’s not going to disappoint her. Like un-pausing a DVD, Kyungsoo starts where he left off, pressing his lips to Ms. L.’s navel. Her skin smelling faintly of lavender and burnt cookies. Over her panties, he kisses her mound, then the tip of her clit. He lets his hot breath surround it then smooths his warm tongue over it. He feels Ms. L. tremble. He sweeps his tongue across it again, Ms. L. trembles again, this time letting out a moan.

Kyungsoo feels his power – he has the ability to give this woman pleasure. He’d only felt this with Haejin before. It was exciting to know he could feel this way with someone new. He pulls Ms. L.’s panties down over her hips, revealing her neatly groomed pubic hair. Leaving the panties on the floor, he kisses her knee caps and up her thighs. She moans softly, squirming under the tickle of his touch. He returns to her clit. This time using his wet tongue to rhythmically caress her bare skin. She moans louder, her hips bucking in time.

Kyungsoo pushes her down onto the bed, spreading her legs. He continues to lick her clit, massaging her at the same time. He can feel her getting wet. He can hear his own jagged breath, thick with desire. His penis responds, prepared because it’ll be needed soon. He lets his finger slide into Ms. L. and she throws her head back with a breathy scream. She laughs her self-conscious laugh and Kyungsoo is harder than ever.

He climbs up onto the bed and kisses her elongated neck and her upturned chin. He kisses her lips. Her tongue forces its way between his lips and impatiently searches the inside of him mouth. Shocked at first, he chuckles, returning the favor by letting his tongue slip into her beer-tinged mouth. She grabs his hair, pulling tight, not tight enough to hurt, but almost. They kiss hungrily – trying to devour each other.

Kyungsoo is startled when Ms. L. pushes him down on his back. Straddling him, she undoes his belt buckle, then his pant zipper, pulling his slacks down his legs and over his tense toes. 

“Your thighs are delicious,” she says.

A little bashful he says, “I always thought they were a little feminine looking.”

“Not at all. These are the kind of thighs on a man that women swoon over. I salivated over them every day and had to fight not to stare at them all the time while at work.” They both laugh.

Next she gets rid of his boxer briefs, releasing his alert penis. The sensation of pleasure is overwhelming as Ms. L. takes him into her mouth. Seeing her pink lips surround him makes Kyungsoo go crazy. Afraid he won’t be able to last much longer, he turns her over, hastily removes his shirt, and enters between her legs. They make love passionately - and repeatedly - until they’re both drenched in sweat. Spent, they drift off to sleep.

When Kyungsoo wakes up, his alarm shrieking its morning song, Ms. L. is gone. However, there’s a note on the pillow next to him, written on a napkin:

_Had to go freshen up at home so I can present myself as a respectable executive this morning. See you soon. - L._

Kyungsoo wonders how he’s going to act like last night didn’t happen at work today. His abdomen throbs just thinking about their hot, damp entangled bodies undulating like ocean waves. Hands touching and grabbing greedily...everywhere. He needs an Arctic cold shower immediately if he’s going to function normally today. His attempt to get out of bed is a clumsy comedy of errors: He has to flip over onto his stomach as his left leg is caught in the vice-like grip of his knotted bed sheet. Successfully getting his feet to the floor, he slips on his comforter which had been banished to the ground sometime during the night. Finally freeing himself from last night’s evidence, Kyungsoo makes it to the shower and out the door in record time.

**Chapter 14**

Passing the coffee shop next to GRANITE, Kyungsoo pops into pick-up a coffee for himself and... Ms. L too: a green tea latte, for her and an iced Americano, for him. His steps are light as he walks by the receptionist, giving her such a big smile that a look of curious bewilderment crosses her face before returning the smile.

Plopping his attaché case into his cubicle, he peers over the wall to his left. “Good morning, Chanyeollie!” Chanyeol literally jumps in his seat, startled by Kyungsoo’s greeting.

“Whoa! Someone’s in a rare good mood today. What happened? Did you somehow win a sports car?” Kyungsoo laughs.

“I’m always in a good mood.” In response to Chanyeol’s incredulous look, “Ok, _most_ of the time I am truly in a good mood. I’m just not overly expressive.”

“So, why the sudden expression of emotions? Did you attend therapy or something?”

“Chanyeol, I hate you.” It looks like Chanyeol almost takes him seriously so Kyungsoo quickly follows up with, “I hate you because you make me laugh when I don’t want to.”

Chanyeol smiles, relieved. “Well, I’m glad I’m such a ray of sunshine in your life.” He turns back to his computer, but then says, “I’m glad you’re happy too...for whatever reason. You’re a mysterious one, you know?”

Kyungsoo chuckles to himself. Is he really that mysterious? Most likely not, Chanyeol is usually just too busy listening to his own voice to pay attention to others.

Remembering Ms. L.’s latte, Kyungsoo rushes to her office before it cools down to an unpleasant temperature. Ms. L. is at her desk, writing some notes down on a ledger pad. She didn’t wear her hair in a low bun today. Instead it falls down one side of her face in silky, black waves. Kyungsoo remembers how her hair tickled his skin as she kissed her way up and down his body last night. He feels his ears burn as he knocks on the door, to be polite.

“I had time to stop at the coffee shop this morning, so I picked one up for you too.” Ms. L. looks up at Kyungsoo, a smile slowly creeping across her lips. Her eyes shine brightly, but Kyungsoo can see the shadows there. But this time they don’t throw him off guard or make him uneasy. Now that he knows what they mean; they’re welcome and he knows he would have been disappointed if he didn’t see them in her eyes when she looked at him today -- or any day after for that matter. Kyungsoo puts the coffee on her desk.

“Thank you. You’re very kind today,” she says, head cocked to one side quizzically.

“I’m feeling generous I guess. And you look...uhm...very respectable today.” Ms. L. smirks, hiding her chuckle as she breaks eye contact with Kyungsoo. “Sorry, was that too --”

She cuts him off. “You better behave or you’ll give me reasons I don’t need to punish you.” This time, Kyungsoo is smiling.

He doesn’t dare say it, but he thinks to himself that he should definitely misbehave terribly today because he really, really wants to be punished.

Kyungsoo hears a creak behind him. Both he and Ms. L. turn their attention to the office doorway. Junmyeon is there, trying to lean casually against the door jam, but the tension in his body is too obvious to buy that he’s perfectly at ease, as he looks from Ms. L. to Kyungsoo and back to Ms. L. His fingertips are white where they grip the binder of reports he’s holding and his jaw is clenched so tight Kyungsoo swears he can see the blood in his veins pulsing underneath the skin.

“We should be on our way to the Line meeting right now, Ms. L., but if you have other pressing matters…” Junmyeon’s eyes move to Kyungsoo.

He can tell that Junmyeon wishes that his eyes could shoot missiles that disintegrate the desired target upon impact. Kyungsoo swallows under his stare. Junmyeon can be very scary despite resembling a small bunny rabbit – more like Bunnicula than Thumper.

“Nope. I’m ready. Can you give me one minute though?” It seems to take all of Junmyeon’s willpower to leave the doorway, but he succeeds eventually.

Ms. L. lets out a sigh. “Looks like Mr. Bully is a little jealous...well, not a little, a lot actually.” Ms. L. hops up from her desk, walking around it to stand by Kyungsoo.

“Why would he be jealous?” Bringing his voice down to a whisper, “Does he like you or something?”

Ms. L. looks down, “...Or something.” Then she exits her office, meeting Junmyeon in the hallway.

Kyungsoo can hear the strain in Junmyeon’s voice as he talks to Ms. L. on their way to the conference room. Crossing the hallway back to his cubicle, Kyungsoo follows them with his eyes. He doesn’t like the way Junmyeon is leaning into Ms. L., his mouth millimeters from her ear.

Kyungsoo has trouble concentrating on his work that morning. And not only because Chanyeol is rambling on about some new beat making software he purchased recently, but because his mind has decided to finally put things together: Ms. L.’s “Or something”, Junmyeon leaning into Ms. L., Junmyeon staying at her apartment after everyone left the dinner party, Junmyeon’s barrage of territorial threats to him, Junmyeon’s overall disdain for him in general.

Kyungsoo sinks his hands into his face, letting out a heavy sigh. Junmyeon was right, he _was_ a dimwitted fool; he couldn’t see what was right before his own eyes -- this whole time. Not only about Ms. L. and himself, but about _Junmyeon_ and Ms. L. Of course it made sense now.

Ms. L. had been _with_ Junmyeon before him. Last night she had said that she’d been with other men this way, but it didn’t register with Kyungsoo then because his mind was clouded with lust. No wonder Junmyeon hated him. He almost felt sympathetic towards him. This whole thing was going to be messier than he even imagined. For Junmyeon to be this upset, he must care deeply for Ms. L., perhaps even be in love with her? Kyungsoo didn’t only need to worry about acting normal with Ms. L. at work, but now he needed to worry about breaking another man’s heart. He doesn’t have those feelings for Ms. L., at least not yet. He needs to talk with Ms. L. and get an explanation about what’s going on.

“Isn’t that cool? Kyungsoo? Kyungsoo! Isn’t it? Are you even listening?” Chanyeol’s head appears over the cubicle wall, moon-sized eyes peering down at Kyungsoo’s bent head.

Kyungsoo lifts his head, staring at his computer screen until the text starts to blur. “No, I’m not listening. Sorry.”

“See, like I said, you’re a mysterious one. Just hours ago you were buzzing with happiness, now you look like you’ve just been told your dog died.” Concern washing over him, “ _Did_ your dog die? Oh no, so sorry if that actually happened, I --”

“Can you just be quiet please?” Kyungsoo doesn’t mean to sound so harsh, but his head is starting to throb. “Sorry. I’m...I...I didn’t mean it. I’m going out for lunch. You, Baekhyun, and Jongin can have lunch without me today.”

Chanyeol just says “Ok” and disappears behind the wall. Kyungsoo feels bad, catching a glimpse a Chanyeol’s face -- like a little boy who’s been scolded.

Checking today’s schedule on his email calendar before he leaves, Kyungsoo realizes Ms. L. should be done with Line meeting soon. He heads into her office, takes a sticky note from her desk, and writes:

_I’m upstairs on the roof. Come there. We need to talk._

He tacks it onto her computer screen; she’ll get it when she gets back from the meeting. Kyungsoo heads upstairs to the roof. It’s only five flights up and he could use the exertion to help clear his mind.

Kyungsoo needs to escape and he surely needs some air -- desperately so. He sits on the little bench that’s up there, looking out over downtown: the afternoon sun glinting off office windows, cars rushing back and forth, the honking of horns and muffled buzz of hundreds of voices talking into cell phones, to co-workers, to family members, to lovers.

He looks down at his watch. Ms. L. should be out of her meeting and hopefully on her way up to meet him soon. Kyungsoo’s a bit lost in his own thoughts, trying to figure out the right combination of words to use to ask Ms. L. about her relationship with Junmyeon.

The sound of footsteps snaps him out of his rumination and he turns his head towards the entry staircase expecting to see Ms. L. However, it’s not her standing there -- it’s Junmyeon, eyes intensely focused on Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo inhales a big gulp of air and exhales it slowly. He knows things are about to come to a head right now and there’s nothing he can do about it.

Junmyeon walks toward him, fists tightly clenched at his sides, deep lines around his lips as he pinches them in towards his face. “I saw your little note. How cute. Love notes already.” The edge in his voice reveals that he definitely does not find that cute at all though.

“But, how did _you_ see it?” Kyungsoo asks.

“Ms. L. and I were going to debrief after the Line meeting in her office, but she had to go the bathroom first. I placed a report on her desk and saw your stupid note.”

Kyungsoo feels like he understands why Junmyeon is upset now, but why does he have to be so freaking rude? The hairs on Kyungsoo’s skin can’t help but stand on edge at that the tone of Junmyeon’s voice.

“Ok, so what are you doing here though? You’re not Ms. L. obviously.” He should probably be more respectful because his sass is not helping with the palpable anger that’s oozing off Junmyeon. He begins to close the gap between himself and Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo thinks about backing up, but his pride won’t allow him to show any form of intimidation to Junmyeon.

Kyungsoo’s ears prick as he hears footsteps clinking up the steps. “Kyungsoo? I got your note. Are you --” He can see Ms. L. taking in the standoff happening between him and Junmyeon as she reaches the top of the stairs.

Kyungsoo is a little surprised that Junmyeon had left the note there. For some reason he thought he would have ripped it off the computer screen, crumpled it into a tiny ball and tossed it into the waste bin, maybe even lighting a match and tossing it in for good measure. He wonders if Junmyeon left it up intentionally -- forcing a showdown between all three of them. Or maybe he just forgot in his haste to confront Kyungsoo.

“Ok, what’s going on here? Junmyeon why are you here? I doubt Kyungsoo left you a note too.” Ms. L.’s voice is stern as she walks to stand in-between Junmyeon and Kyungsoo, like she did at the dinner party.

“I don’t _need_ a note. Unlike _some_ people here, I don’t need things spelled out for me that are perfectly obvious. I can see clearly that this little prick is trying to replace me. But I won’t go down without a fight.”

Ms. L. releases a heavy sigh. Just for a moment Kyungsoo can see her age, the tired little lines around her mouth and the faint crow’s feet around her eyes.

“Junmyeon, I told you already. Several times. Why won’t you listen? I cherish our friendship, I really do. But that’s all we are now…friends.”

“ _You_ decided that on your own. Did you bother to ask me if that’s what I wanted too? It’s unfair,” Junmyeon says seething.

“It wouldn’t have mattered. I know you want to stay together, but I don’t, so…” Ms. L. looks at Kyungsoo and then down to the floor.

“Why?” Junmyeon shouts startling Ms. L. and causing Kyungsoo to step forward protectively; closer to Ms. L. “Why would my feelings not make a difference. Am I garbage, with no purpose after a few uses?” Kyungsoo can see Junmyeon’s eyes glisten, welling up with tears, despite his anger.

Kyungsoo feels sorry for Junmyeon. He knows what it’s like to love someone, but not be able to stop them from leaving you. If he let himself acknowledge it, he’d admit that he still loved Haejin. That’s probably why he wasn’t too motivated to date -- to try to replace her. But Ms. L. had reminded him that he could move forward, that he could feel passionately about someone again, that it was okay to crave the warmth of another’s body against his that wasn’t Haejin. He’s conflicted though, because maybe what Ms. L.’s doing is wrong. Does she really care about Kyungsoo? Did she sincerely love Junmyeon as much as he seems to have loved her?

Junmyeon and Ms. L. turn to look at him, when Kyungsoo says, addressing each of them in turn, “Junmyeon, I’m sorry, I didn’t know about you and Ms. L. If I had, I would have understood why you were acting that way towards me -- I would have been more sensitive. Ms. L., I know we’re all adults here and we willingly made our choices, but honestly this situation sounds a bit like Junmyeon and I are a part of some kind of assembly line in your factory.” He knows his words might sting Ms. L. a little, but he, and Junmyeon, deserve the truth. He’s shaking, but he wants to know.

Ms. L. and Junmyeon just stare at Kyungsoo, both of them perhaps processing what he’s said. The three of them stand in silence once again, a triangle of emotions at war: love, jealousy, and fear.

“I don’t have a factory. And there’s no assembly line, so don’t say that,” Ms. L. finally speaks breaking the silence. Her voice is low and hushed.

“I’m bad at relationships, OK? That’s why I don’t want to get married. That’s why I barely speak to my parents or my siblings. I don’t know how to have anything but fleeting connections with others. Maybe I haven’t made the best choices and I haven’t been considerate enough of either of your feelings…” Her eyes meeting Junmyeon’s, “...but I _do_ care. I promise you that... _both_ of you.” Her eyes turn back to look at Kyungsoo and she reaches out to touch his shoulder. “Don’t be mad at me, please.”

Kyungsoo knows she’s pleading with him. What they have has just begun and she doesn’t want it to be over yet. He doesn’t think he wants it be over yet either. Yet, there is a taint to the whole situation that suggests that he should disentangle himself from this crooked web.

In that moment, Ms. L. and Kyungsoo are too distracted by the silent messages their exchanging to notice Junmyeon clenching and unclenching his fists rhythmically. If they had, they may have been warned, but it’s too late.

Junmyeon lunges at Kyungsoo with menace in his eyes. Gripping hold of Kyungsoo’s shirt collar, Junmyeon spits out, “I used to be you -- I _was_ you. But the thing is, I’m smarter than you.” A knot forms in Kyungsoo’s throat, making it hard to take a deep breath.

Kyungsoo feels the crack of the man’s fist on his cheek. A searing pain shoots through his jaw and reverberates through his skull. He hears Ms. L. shout at Junmyeon to stop. Despite her protests, Junmyeon delivers an uppercut to his chin that sends him reeling backwards, almost falling to the ground. He can taste blood in his mouth.

Continuing his rant, Junmyeon growls at Kyungsoo, “You couldn’t even see what was happening from a mile away. I even warned you. How dumb could you be?”

Kyungsoo wonders where this pretty-boy learned how to fight. He unfortunately had no combat skills whatsoever, so he feared that this fight was going to end up very badly for him.

Dizzy and stumbling to maintain his balance, Kyungsoo sees Ms. L. run to block Junmyeon from coming for him again. Junmyeon had been so focused on finally putting Kyungsoo in his place that the reminder of Ms. L.’s presence turns a switch on inside him. He whirls around towards Ms. L. and grabs her shoulders.

Yelling, his face turning red, “How can you be so fickle? Don’t I mean anything to you?”

He shakes Ms. L. violently, pushing her against the railing that borders the rooftop. Ms. L. is shouting, begging Junmyeon to let go of her. Regaining his equilibrium Kyungsoo tries to pry Junmyeon off Ms. L., but he gets punched again. This time so hard that he finally hits the ground.

Nowhere near finished, he feels Junmyeon kick him in the head and then the stomach. He feels his ribs crack and his breath catches in his lungs. His ears ring and soon he can’t hear anything besides muffled shouting and then Ms. L. scream -- the sound so piercing that it cuts through the fog in his head, at first like a violin chord played right up to his ear, then slowly fading into a soft siren wail. Then silence.

He opens his eyes, but he can’t see anything. His right eye, especially, hurts so badly that the pain renders him blind. He can feel hot tears sting the cuts that must be on his face. The silence is interrupted by...Kyungsoo can’t tell, but he thinks maybe it’s the sound of someone sobbing. Deep guttural noises, like a dying animal, waft in and out of his consciousness. Then footsteps running, then actual ambulance sirens screeching in. Then everything goes black.


	4. Part Four

**Chapter 15**

**_Two Months Later_ **

It’s a sunny, but muggy Saturday morning in late August. Wearing a light cotton shirt and a baseball cap, to keep cool, Kyungsoo exits the subway station in Incheon. He’s meeting Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Jongin for brunch. He’s actually really excited. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed them.

Kyungsoo had been in and out of the hospital for nearly a month; broken ribs, fractured jaw, a ruptured blood vessel in his right eye, and a mild concussion. After he’d healed, he was summoned to the police station to give a statement to add to the report about what happened that day on GRANITE’s rooftop.

It had been hard remembering everything at first. A month on highly effective painkillers made his memory fuzzy, but as he began to recount the story, it all came rushing back to him in painfully sharp detail. Kyungsoo signed his signature to the statement after three hours of questioning. Already exhausted, he recalls going numb when the police officers provided the answers to his shamefully belated questions: _What happened to Junmyeon. How is Ms. Lim?_

He felt the walls closing in on him, their words echoing in his ears: _Ms. Lim is dead_. Kyungsoo couldn’t understand what the word _dead_ meant. _How could she be dead?_ He hadn’t realized that he’d asked that question aloud. _She fell off the roof of the GRANITE building. Junmyeon says it was an accident; that he didn’t mean to push her -- if he did it. His trial begins in a few weeks._ That’s why the police were so eager to finally get Kyungsoo’s statement; so they could have the report complete for the defense and prosecution lawyers.

After learning the news, he’d hidden himself away in his apartment, trying to shut out reality; but the nightmares crept in. Kyungsoo never returned to GRANITE. He mailed in his resignation letter to the CEO, Mr. Jin, thanking him for the opportunity, but stating that he was ready to move on to a place that was a better fit. All bullshit, but it was much better than the truth:

_Dear, Mr. Jin,_

_I can’t return to work because that place reminds me that my life has gone to shit._

_Sorry for being an idiot,_

_Do Kyungsoo_

Chanyeol had been the first to call him, but Kyungsoo wasn’t checking his cell phone much in the hospital -- or after that either. He had finally returned Chanyeol’s calls after listening to the ten voicemail messages he’d left for him. He’d told Chanyeol everything, dying to get it out. Testing the air to see if the words stuck -- if what happened was real. Plus, for some reason, he trusted Chanyeol. He was like an innocent child, open-minded and non-judgmental. Initially, Chanyeol had been shocked though.

But, being Chanyeol, he couldn’t stop himself from teasing Kyungsoo, “It’s always the quiet ones. You have to watch out for the quiet ones.” Then he had apologized. Kyungsoo just laughed, thankful for Chanyeol who was able to make him smile when he didn’t want to.

Kyungsoo asked Chanyeol not to mention the part about his relationship with Ms. L. to Baekhyun and Jongin if, or when, they asked. He would take a blow to his ego having them know that Junmyeon had beat the crap out of him because he hated him; no need for them to know why.

Baekhyun had called him while he was hibernating in his tiny apartment, no desire to be out in the world. Baekhyun had said how such a weight was lifted from his chest now that he could share the gossip that had been swirling about Ms. L.; the gossip he’d kept to himself out of respect to Kyungsoo: She liked younger guys. Ms. L. was having an affair with Junmyeon. Junmyeon was tired of being jerked around and had snapped like a mad man. Too bad Kyungsoo was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Kyungsoo was relieved to hang up the phone with Baekhyun. He didn’t want to relive all of that anymore. A bit insensitive, but mostly naive, Baekhyun didn’t know how deeply Kyungsoo had been involved, or the major role he played in the chaos. He thought that Kyungsoo was an unfortunate bystander; the arguing couple barging in on his quiet time on the roof. Kyungsoo had never put his name on the sticky note he’d left for Ms. L. telling her to come to the roof to talk. Office gossip dictated that Junmyeon had written it. Only the police knew the truth.

Jongin had texted him a few times, sweet and simple:

_How are you doing, hyung?_

_Hope you’re well Kyungsoo-yah._

_See us soon, OK?_

Kyungsoo reaches the restaurant. He enters, spotting Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Jongin at a table in the corner by a window. As they see him, they wave, disturbing the other patrons as they shout loudly in chorus.

“Hey, Kyungsoo! My chingu!” Chanyeol’s Cheshire smile making his ears stick out even more.

“He’s risen from the dead! I’m so blessed to witness this historic day.” Baekhyun, dramatically clutching his chest, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.

“Ha-ha! We want to hear all about your new job at our rival marketing agency, _Shim Inc._! Spill all your secrets so we can win the Etude account.” Jongin, the only sane human being in the group; including himself, Kyungsoo thinks.

Hugs are exchanged all around when he reaches the table. They stay there for hours. Devouring their food, laughing, and shoving each other. Kyungsoo and Jongin lamenting how Chanyeol and Baekhyun are so embarrassing and can’t be taken out in public.

If anything had come from his time at GRANITE, it was good friendships; and Kyungsoo is grateful for each one of them. His dream job hadn’t turned out the way he thought it would, but it had certainly changed his life. And he was happy to be able to say that some of that change was for the better.


End file.
